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Entry bubble New Gas Mileage Rates and Estimates

By: Jake | June 30, 2008 | Category: Money

Those of you who use your car for business purposes can rejoice a little bit. The Internal Revenue Service increased the optional standard mileage rates for the rest of the year because of rising gas prices.

For every business mile driven from July 1 to December 31, 2008 taxpayers can use the rate of 58.5 cents to calculate deductible costs, 8 cents more than the 50.5 than the first half of 2008. The IRS also increased the standard deductible rates for medical/moving purposes from 19 to 27 cents. The agency doesn't normally change rates midyear but decided it was necessary due to rising gas prices.Fuel Pump

This change means that federal government employees who use their own cars for government work may see an increase in their reimbursement rates since the U.S. General Services Administration announced they're reviewing privately owned vehicle reimbursement rates. UPDATE: On August 1, 2008 the new rate for federal employees will be 58.5 cents per mile.

It seems whenever I post about something related to gas prices I get a few comments about specific types of cars. So I thought I'd mention that 55 years ago today the first Chevrolet Corvette rolled off the assembly line in Flint, Michigan.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently adjusted automobile gasoline mile per gallon estimates to take into account idling and other driver habits to make them more realistic. Fueleconomy.gov applied these new estimates to every automobile manufactured since 1985.

I am curious how many miles per gallon of gasoline the 1955 Corvette got. By the new estimates a 1985 Corvette gets about 15 miles a gallon in the city and 20 on the highway. I bet the 1955 Corvette gets far less. Does anyone know?

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: business_mileage   fuel   gas_mileage   jake   tax  

 

Entry bubble Owning a Small Business

By: Nicole | June 27, 2008 | Category: Money

I firmly believe that one of the most rewarding pleasures in life is a terrific story. I recently finished reading a new book by one of my favorite writers. His latest novel is set in a small town in upstate New York, where a struggling, painfully optimistic family man purchases a small corner grocery. With much help from his savvy, less optimistic wife, he makes a successful business of it. As I was reading the story, I have to admit that I was inspired by the powerfully American idea of a small business venture.

Business OwnerIf you have ever imagined owning your own business, check out the Small Business Administration’s website, where there are tons of resources to help an entrepreneurial spirit. There, you can find detailed instructions for writing a business plan or information about finance options. Did you know that there are laws governing what you can name your business? You can find that and much more on the site.

There are also free online courses offered through the site. For example, you can take courses about starting a business, managing a business, financing a business, or marketing and advertising. The courses are interactive, engaging, and accessible. If you’re interested in a small business but feel intimidated by the process, these courses will definitely help.

In addition to the resources above, you can get help at the Small Business Administration’s district offices or at a Small Business Development Center in your area. You might also benefit from the Federal Citizen Information Center's related publications.

And for businesses of any size, USA.gov's Business Gateway provides all the government information you need.

Have you ever been inspired by a terrific business idea?

| View Comments [8] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: business   capital   enterprise   entrepreneur   finance   manage   money   nicole   opportunity   own   start up  

 

Entry bubble Girl Power!

By: Nancy | June 26, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

I'm sitting here eyeing the last couple Thin Mints left from the three boxes of Girl Scout cookies I bought from my eight-year-old friend, Alyssa. I know, three boxes? But hey, I was a Girl Scout back in the day and I wanted to pass along to Alyssa that sense of accomplishment I used to feel when people bought an armload of boxes from me.

If you have a special girl in your life, here are some links to self esteem-building web sites for girls from Kids.gov and around the web.

girls around computer

From the US Department of Health and Human Services, GirlsHealth.gov features physical and mental health information for girls 10-16 year old to help them understand what they're physically and emotionally going through during this time of change in their lives. There's information on everything from the maturing process to getting in shape in a safe way to managing family relationships.

Being strong physically starts with building strong bones. The "Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls." campaign shows girls in a fun way why mom always says "Drink your milk!" and "Go outside and play!"

GirlPower.gov may have that 'old school website' look, but it also has a variety of helpful resources for girls including activity books and sections on more serious issues, like understanding eating disorders and coping with a parent's drinking problems.

Engineer Girl from the National Academy of Engineering introduces girls to the creative world of engineering through stories of discoveries and achievements by women working in the areas of space, medicine, the environment and communications.

The "Campaign for Real Beauty's" girls section offers lots of opportunities for girls to discover the beauty of being unique and real. One very striking part of this site is the interactive photo quiz. Can you tell which glamour shots have been retouched and which are real?

And circling back to those purveyors of Thin Mints, the Girl Scouts have activity sites for five to twelve year olds and for 11 to 17 year olds. They're full of games, lifestyle tips and feature stories any girl—a scout or not—would enjoy.

Let’s swap links. What are you daughter’s, granddaughter’s, niece’s or neighbor’s favorite websites for kids?

| Post a Comment | View Comments [10] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: daughter   girls   health   nancy   scouts  

 

Entry bubble Prime Times for Purchasing

By: Colleen | June 25, 2008 | Category: Money

For me, there is one cardinal rule of shopping:sale

  • Never buy shoes full price, regardless of how fabulous they are.

Hold steady, they WILL go on sale. It takes some patience—be willing to keep up with the status of those strappy sandals, give it about two months and you can save yourself a whole lot o' cash.

Beyond footwear, my purchasing is fairly limited. But, to really make your dollar stretch, there are certain times when you can find items far cheaper than their usual list price.

  • New Cars: Late summer is when new models come in and dealers want to clear out last year's models. Also, at the end of any month you're more likely to get a good deal because salespeople are trying to meet their quotas.
  • Computers: July, before the back-to-school rush, and December.
  • Jewelry: buy in the off-seasons (that means think of your lady AHEAD of time, boys!) never around Valentine's Day or the December holidays.
  • Houses: start looking in February, before the spring home-buying season.

Remember, a lot of these purchases are available through government auction. Check out homes, household appliances, vehicles, jewelry, and lots of other cool stuff.

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   deals   full   price   purchase   sale  

 

Entry bubble How Does Your Representative Vote?

By: Joanne | June 24, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

U.S. Capitol buildingYou know how it goes; you pay a little attention to political candidates before an election, and you uphold your responsibility to vote for the candidate of your choice. Once they’re in office you’re too busy to think about what they’re doing with the power you’ve given them.

At the national level, sometimes we see news stories about hot topics and bills being passed by the U.S. Congress. I’ve often seen people write in to USA.gov wanting to contact a high profile member of the House or Senate in order to express an opinion on a topic.

There’s something you need to know about contacting a member of Congress – they answer to their constituents, that is, the people in their voting district. If you really want to get your message through to the Congress, you’ve got to keep tabs on the House Member or Senator from your voting district. When they do something you like, let them know! When they do something you don’t like, let them know! Sometimes I feel like only special interest groups have influence over their members of Congress, but then I also wonder if the special interest groups are the only voices being heard because the rest of us just grumble about public policy in our kitchens.

| View Comments [7] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: bill   congress   house   joanne   law   legislation   representative   senate   senator   vote  

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